Helmut Haller, the former West Germany international who scored the first goal in the 1966 World Cup final against England, has passed away aged 73.
The former attacker died on Thursday at his home in Augsburg, with German Football Association president Wolfgang Niersback already hailing him as "one of the outstanding personalities of German Football".
A Scudetto winner with both Juventus and Bologna in Italy, Haller made his international debut for the West Germans as a 19-year-old in 1958.
Haller strikes to give West Germany the lead
He represented his country at both the 1966 and 1970 World Cup finals, as West Germany finished runners-up and third in England and Mexico.
Capped 33 times in total, Haller was second top scorer in '66 with six goals - three behind the prolific Eusebio.
Haller with a delivery of 25 folding umbrellas, sent to the team at their Derbyshire hotel to help them cope with British weather in '66
His goal after 12 minutes in the final was cancelled out by Geoff Hurst's six minutes later as the Three Lions eventually prevailed 4-2 after extra time.
Haller at a 1966 final reunion with Gordon Banks, Martin Peters, Bobby Moore, Hans Tikowski and Geoff Hurst in 1991
On Boxing Day 2006 Haller suffered a heart attack and later on also suffered from both dementia and Parkinson's disease before his death yesterday.